Improvement in combined knob-latch and lock



".PEYERS, PHOTO LITHQGRAFHER WASHINGTON n c 'N dd-titled 51am @anni @iii-rr. f

JOHN H. VIC-Knus, or NoRwion'coNNEcr-ICUT,AssIGNoR 'ro4 NoR- WICH LOCK COMPANY.

Letters .Patent No. 93,504, dated ugust 1l), 1869.

IMPRovnMnNT IN GOMBINED'KNQBLATCH AND LOCK The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part 'of the same. I

the night, (refusing to be opened from the outside,

Aeven by the proper key,) o r it may be used as a-nightlatch, (being opened bythe proper key from the outf side,) or it may be used as an ordinary knob-latch, (being opened from either side by simply turning the A knob.) These changes in thecondit-ions may be induced by changing the position of a single piece, always accessible from the inside of the house.

My invention is more-particularly designed for the .street-doors of houses, butmay be used on' the doors" of rooms in hotels, and ina great variety of situations. I will first describe whatl consider the best means of carrying out my invention, and will afterwards/designate the points which I believe to be new.

The accompanying drawings form a part of Vthis fspecification.

Figure 1. is a front View of the works of the vlock when in a condition to be opened` with the aid of the proper key;

higure 2 is a corresponding view when in a condition to be opened by simply turning .the knob; 'and Figure 3 is a corresponding View when in acondi- 4 tion vof a dead-bolt; vthat is to say, so that it cannot be opened by any means from'the outside.

Figures l 2 and 3 correspond to figs. 1 2 and 3, respectively, and are views of the end of the lock, Athat end from which the bolt protl'udes. l

These figures are important, mainly, in showing the position of the visible part oi' the adj estableV thumbypiece in the several'conditions of the lock.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

Tints are employed merely to aid' in distinguishing parts', and do not imply dilerencesin material. l

rlhe material of the whole may bemalleable-iron or brass.

A is the casing of the lock, which is screwed or otherwise secured to the door, the door having been recessed in the ordinary manner t6 receive it. i

B is the bolt, widened at the back, and opened to receive the wings c c, of an ordinary turning-knob device C.` Y

This bolt is impelled outward by a spring, D, arranged as represented.

All these parts are of the-ordinary construction and arrangement. l

El Ez are tumblers, made in the ordinary approved manner, and adapted to serve, relatively, to a fence, b, which is carried on the bolt B.l 'l

llhe tumblers E1 E2 are pivote'd on the hub C, which receives the shaft of the turning-knob, as before sug gested.

I have not deemed it necessary to represent the shaft', and the knobs. It may be readily understood that theshaft is an ordinary square shank, and that the knobs are mounted on each end, so that one is' presented on the outer side of the door, and the other on theinner sideof the door, and by applying the hand to eitherknob, and4 turning it, the hub C, and consequently the wings c c, are turned to act upon the holtB.-

Gis a turning-post, mounted as represented, so that it is free to turn, unless prevented by the spring h,

which .stands in the open side of the-cavity g.

Thi'scavty gis rectangular in section, and extends' the whole length of theturning-p'ost G. It is adapted to receive the back o'r axis of a thin key'.

A key-hole, fi, in the front plate of the lock, indicated lin red outline, is of a widthcorresponding to this recess or cavity g, and is of a length corresponding to the dimensions of the key. It allows the key to be introduced freely, and pressed home into such position that it can be turned. p

In being pressed home, it forces back the spring h, and thus sets the parts free, so that it may be turned, carying'with it lthe turning-post G, and having its axis of. motion lcoincident with the axis of the said post. f

A stop, a, is provided, which arrests the motion of the key after it has made about five-eighths of -a revolution.

In turning around, before -it reaches the stop, its working-edge first acts upon and lifts the tumblers E1 E2, and afterwards acts against a suitable shoulder, B1, on the bol/t B, and forces back the bolt.

The ke'y and the adjacent surfaces of the tumblers must be adapted to each other, so that,ras the key turns, the tumblers will be lifted to exactly the right position, all of which will be readily understood by those familiar with tumbler locks.

J is a hollow turning-post, mounted lin the position represented, and provided witha thnmbfpiece, which is presented ontheinside of the door to allow it to be turned. It is made with an extension from the thumbpiece, reaching nearly through the centre of the turning-post J, andsecured in'position by a screw introduced from the other opposite end, but lthis construction is not material so long as the thumb-piece is secured 'to the turningpost, so that it may operateit. v

"1 'ere are on the turning-post J two arms or wings,

which are adapted to act on the tumblers. One wing,

J1, is adapted to the tumblers E, so that when this arm J1 is turned in the vertical position, it raises the tumhlers El E2 to exactly the height required to allow the holt to be drawn back.

By applying thethumb and finger to the thumbpiece, and adjusting the turning-post J, so that the wing J1 is vertical, the tmnblers E1 E2 are held in such position that they are of no eiiect.

Infthis condition the lock is an ordinary knob-latch, and maybe operated from either side by turning either knob, and thus operate the wings c c.

'lhe wing J 2 is nearly opposite to thc wing J l, and is of such form,and so related to the tumblers E1 *"Z, that by turning the post J so as to lift the wing J2 into contact with the tumblers, it lifts the tumblers into such position that they will not allow the fence 11,.and, consequently, thc bolt B, to be moved. Inthis condition the lock is a dead-lock.

It cannot be operated by the wings e c, as an ordinary knob-hitch, nor can it be operated by the key, because one ot' the tumhlers is thrown int-o a position too high to allow ,the fence b to move. It will be readily understood that in this condition the key is powerless, because it cannot reach the tumbler which is so elevated. But by turning the post J into an intermediate position, so that neither ot' the wings J1 nor J`I are elevated, the tumhlers E1 E2 arc both liberated, and 'are allowed to drop by gravityor hy thc force of the springs c, arranged in the ordinaryma-nner, and in this condition .the lock can be operated by the key, but it cannot be operated without the key, because the tumhlcrs, by assuming too low a position, will prevent it serving as an ordinary knob-latch.

A spring, K, mounted as represented,presses against thel lower side of the turning-post J, and is adapted thereto, so that it holds the turning-post in either of the three positions in which it may be adjusted.

I employ false notches on the tumblers and on the fence, or can dispense with them, as may be desired.

My lock may be modified/in many of the details without interfering with its peribrmauce in the three ways herein described. y

.l propose, in some'instances, to employ a large uumber ot' tumblers; in others, a single tumbler may be adequate for all the strength and safety which ma) be considere l necessary.

Having now fully described my invention,

What I claim as new thercin,.and dsire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

livoting the tumblers of a tumbler-lock upon the huh (l ot' a knob-latch, mechanism combined therewith to facilitate the manufacture and the compactness of the combinedmechanism, as here-in set forth.

JOHN H. VICKERS.

'itnesses:

A. F. Sm'rn, P. S'r. M. ANDREWS. 

